Honeywell has announced a collaboration with Odys Aviation, a dual-use aerospace company building hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, to deliver a persistent airborne defence solution designed to protect critical infrastructure and strategic assets from rapidly evolving drone threats.
The collaboration on this counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) platform builds on more than a year of joint development and systems integration work to adapt Honeywell Aerospace’s Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept (SAMURAI) autonomous airborne platform for deployment on Odys’ long-range Laila UAS. Together, the Laila-SAMURAI system introduces a new defensive layer between ground-based sensors and high-end missile defence systems.
James Dorris, CEO of Odys Aviation, said the new system addresses the need for persistent protection and early detection across large areas for critical infrastructure applications.
Laila will serve as the first airborne application of the Honeywell SAMURAI system, and its hybrid propulsion system produces enough power to stay in flight for up to eight hours across a 450-mile range. Laila does not require dedicated charging infrastructure.
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